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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. swing — in golf
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com